Wordless Toddler Tuesday

 

Seven reasons I wanted to blog.

Seven things that attract me to blogging:
1. Vent, vent, vent
2. Have something to do when bored.
3. Rant, rant, rant
4. It's cathartic
5. I am nosey, I like to visit others who visit me and peek in on their lives.
6. I can be funny - sometimes
7. Sometimes I just like to bitch

Is it just me?

Is it just me or does this creep you out too? I admit I only half watched the opening ceremony but wow this is creepy.

5 on Friday

1. What did you have for breakfast today?
Haven't eaten it yet! But I will probably have some oatmeal. 

 2. What chore do you hate the most?
Altho I no longer do chores I would say Mopping, because it seems so futile! Or raking leaves, because as soon as I think I'm done more always fall and I have to do it again, and where I grew up snow usually fell before all the leaves were down.  

3. Do you have a lucky piece? If yes, give details.
Weirdly, though I have a lot of compulsive actions I do for luck (or just to feel right), I don't have any lucky objects. 

 4. Describe one of the best laughs you have ever had.
Too hard to pick one! I hang out with a lot of hilarious people. 

 5. What song always manages to cheer you up?
A little Cee lo Green, and you know which one, yep that one, and maybe something like Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

One of my many pet peeves

 

Yesterday I went thru the drive thru at a fast food restaurant.  When I paid, the cashier handed me my change with the coins resting precariously on top of the dollars. Have I ever mentioned how much that drives me mad? Because, usually I'm still holding my wallet with one hand, so then I have to try to finagle the coins off the top of the money with one hand, which is awkward and usually results in coins falling to the floor and rolling to unreachable and/or nasty places. As I was explaining to my friend how this is one of my pet peeves, she said that I'm probably the type of person who also gets angry at other drivers, and then added in mock-earnestness that she's glad she can always maintain her calm, cool demeanor in even the most annoying of circumstances. At that moment, her hair burst into flames from all the lies, lies, lies.

rough day

Having a rough time? Pi$$ed off? Frustrated? Had enough? Take a deep breath and follow these steps:

1. Embrace what is.

2. Re-focus on what's important.

3. Be in service to others.

That's a winning combo right there.

 Every.

 Single. 

Time.

Official

This is my official I have nothing to write about post. I will be using this whenever I have nothing worth writing about. Don’t be surprised if you see it often. I am older and wiser now and have learned that when I have nothing to say I should just shut up. ( a work in progress) And that knowledge is freedom. Freedom from my obsessive need to post daily.

Starbucks

I just learned that a new Starbucks is opening in South Carolina---in a funeral home. Are you  kidding me? I may crazy, but I equate funerals and funeral homes with respect, reverence, and saying goodbye---not cappuccinos, lattes, lemon pound cake, and a tip jar. My favorite part of the article was the funeral home rep saying the Starbucks would be open to the general public and not just those there for funerals and viewings. Really? Who in their right mind is going to go hang out in a funeral home Starbucks? "Where are you going?" "Oh, I'm going to meet the girls down at the funeral home for a bit."  What the heck are they thinking???
You can read the article here:  http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/12/starbucks-to-open-inside-south-carolina-funeral-home/

Aurora, Colorado

5 on Friday

1. What's your favorite playing card game? Why
Go Fish. It's not complicated, it doesn't involve speed, and nobody bets on it. And I know how to play

2. Poker: five card draw, seven card stud, or Texas Hold 'Em?
I don't know how to play poker, but I also don't really care to learn, either.

3. Where gambling is involved what is the highest amount of money you'd bet on a hand of cards?
I've never bet on cards. I have kind of an obsessive personality so that's a path I'd prefer not to go down!

4. Have you ever had your tarot read with playing cards? If not would you want to? If so was it accurate, interesting, or just plain lame?
No, but that sounds like it could be fun in an unserious sleepover party sort of way.

5. What is on the back of your playing cards (the swirly red/blue design or is it a specialty deck with photographs)?
I don't have any cards these days, but we always just had the basic red/blue design growing up. Oops I do have a couple decks one from Australia and the other one from 9-11 with the most wanted on it.

Random Thoughts

I think we should run around barefoot more often.

I'm going to find out what all the excitement over Downton Abbey is about.

I am really, really bad at Words with Friends.

I have become surprisingly frugal in my advancing age.

Some of my friends live in my computer. I will meet them some day.

I love cabbage and brussels sprouts.

I love to iron.
I think I've finally reached the weight I want for my 'before' picture.

159 days till Christmas.

Is anybody else feeling a little bit...blah-ish?

Police comments

These are actual comments made by 16 Police Officers. The comments were taken off actual police car videos around the country:

1. "You know, stop lights don't come any redder than the one you just went through."

2. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them a while."

3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document."

4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."

5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you." (LOVE IT)

6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?" (MY FAVORITE)

7. "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I'm the shift supervisor?"

8. "Warning! You want a warning? O.K, I'm warning you not to do that again or I'll give you another ticket."

9. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"

10. "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop."

11. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven."

12. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC." ( National Crime Information Center )

13. "Just how big were those 'two beers' you say you had?"

14. "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to, but now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we can."

15. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of yours. So you know someone who can post your bail."

AND THE WINNER IS....

16. "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't.. Sign here."

(from an email) tks Joe

10 facts about you

1. You’re reading this right now.

2. This is a stupid fact.

4. You didn’t notice I skipped three.

5. You’re checking now.

6. You’re smiling.

7. You’re still reading this even though it is stupid.

9. You didn’t realize I skipped eight.

10. You’re checking again and smiling about how you fell for it again.

11. You’re enjoying this.

12.  You didn’t realize there’s only supposed to be ten facts.

Monday with Morgan

 

This brightly colored toy is a toddler trampoline.  It plays songs, animal noises and even will count the jumps. I got a very good deal on a barely used one and I am happy to report it was a hit.  Miss Morgan jumped and she jumped and she jumped. It appeared to have worn her out, but don't let the picture fool you, she went several more rounds..

5 on Friday

1. If you could change one life-changing event in the life of someone important to you, would you?
No. Life changing events are, just that. LIFE CHANGING. Things happen as a direct consequence of your actions, and who are we to change that?

2. Which do you think is easier to do, being friends for many years, or being life partners for many years?
Both are difficult. Life partners have the shorter end of the stick as in you have to be compatible emotionally, mentally and sexually. But friendships also take a lot of work, so neither are easy.

3. Have you ever walked away from someone you considered a friend?
Many times. All of which were difficult decisions to make at the time, but I'm much happier and healthier for doing so. I've seen a few of these people since and they're just as toxic now as they were twenty years ago, so I'm glad with my decision.

4. If you had to choose between telling the truth and hurting a friend or lying and making them happy, which would you choose?
It depends on what we are talking about. If she ask me if I liked her dress and it was dreadful, I would lie and say it was lovely. But if she asked me something really important I would probably tell her the truth even if it hurt.

5. Which would you rather hear--the truth which will hurt, or the comforting lie?
I suppose the truth as you can't learn from lies, you can't progress your life through lies and you can't grow as a person if you're constantly being lied to.

Adult Children.

What my adult children don’t need:  They don’t need me to meddle and try to manipulate them. They don’t need me to remind them of past mistakes. They don’t need me to interfere. They don’t need any more anger. They don’t need me to pry. The don’t need to be controlled. They don’t need my criticism . They don’t need my disapproval either and they can’t fulfill my unfulfilled dreams. And they certainly don’t need me to abandon them.

Here is what my adult children need:
My Respect.
Privacy
My Encouragement
My Love
Their Independence
And to make their own choices in life.
I will be available. I will be supportive and helpful.
I will keep my mouth shut. (or try)
Kids do not come with a set of instructions.  And neither do parents.
These are just my own observations that I have arrived at while on my own journey.

Fool

An old prospector shuffled into the town of El Indio,Texas leading a tired old mule.
The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town, to clear his parched throat.
He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.
As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.
The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, can you dance?" "No son, I don't dance... never really wanted to"
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now!" and started shooting at the old man's feet.
The old prospector, not wanting to get a toe blown off, started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet.
Everybody standing around was laughing..
When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled 12 gauge shotgun and cocked both hammers.
The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air. The crowd stopped laughing immediately.
The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly.
The silence was deafening. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin 12gauge barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said;
"Son, have you ever kissed a mule's ass?"
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir... but.... I've always wanted to" 

There are a few lessons for all of us here:
*Don't be arrogant.
*Don't waste ammunition.
*Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.
*Always make sure you know who is in control...
*And finally, Don't screw around with old folks;
they didn't get old by being stupid....
I just love a story with a happy ending, don't you

IT'S SO HOT in Indiana

IT'S SO HOT in Indiana
the birds have to use potholders to pull the worms out of the ground.
the trees are whistling for the dogs.
the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance
hot water comes from both taps.
you can make sun tea instantly.
you learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
the temperature drops below 90 F and you feel a little chilly.
you discover that in July it only takes two fingers to steer your car (one on each hand).
you discover that you can get sunburned through your car window.
you actually burn your hand opening the car door.
you break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 5:30 A.M.
your biggest motorcycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death"?
you realize that asphalt has a liquid stage.
the potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out and add butter.
the cows are giving evaporated milk.
farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs.

         IT'S SO DRY in Indiana

 that the Baptists are starting to baptize by sprinkling, the Methodists are using wet-wipes, the Presbyterians are giving rain checks, and the Catholics are praying for the wine to turn back into water!

Tornado fact quiz

Question 1:

What does the word 'tornado' literally mean?

a. Devil
b. Death
c. Thunderstorm
d. Danger

Question 2:

What does the term 'tornado family' denote?

a. A series of tornadoes
b. A class of tornadoes
c. A family that had suffered damages caused by a tornado
d. Quarrelsome family

Question 3:

What is the name of the tornado that occurred on March 18, 1925 and became the deadliest in U.S. history?

a. Oklahoma City Tornado
b. Great Natchez Tornado
c. 1896 St. Louis – East St. Louis tornado
d. Tri-State Tornado

Question 4:

What is the name of the scale that is used to rate the intensity of tornadoes?

a. Dmitriev scale
b. Fujita scale
c. Saccitoni scale
d. Richter scale

Question 5:

What is the common shape of large single-vortex tornadoes?

a. Stovepipe tornadoes
b. Rope tornadoes
c. Funnel tornadoes
d. Wedge tornadoes

Question 6:

The vast majority of tornadoes in the world occur in the Tornado Alley region which is located in this country.

a. The United States
b. Indonesia
c. Mexico
d. Australia

Question 7:

Which of these is a common myth concerning the damages caused by a tornado to a house?
a. Having trees and shrubs around the house will lessen the damages.
b. All of these
c. Tornadoes 'spare' houses painted in orange.
d. Opening the windows will lessen the damages.

Question 8:

What word is commonly used to refer to the central area of the tornado?

a. All of these
b. Eye
c. Navel
d. Heart

Question 9:

The horse of what fictional hero is called Tornado?

a. d'Artagnan
b. Don Juan
c. Don Quixote
d. Zorro

Question 10:

What actress starred in the 1996 disaster movie 'Twister"?

a. Michelle Pfeiffer
b. Meg Ryan
c. Helen Hunt
d. Jodie Foster

5 Things

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics: 

Does this include those songs where you make up the lyrics because you can't understand all the words? Oh well here goes

99 Bottle of Beer on the Wall

Row Row Row Your Boat

Happy Birthday

Oh come on, who really knows all the words? All we really know is the chorus.

Five snacks you enjoy:

Yogurt

Fruit

BBQ Chips

Tortilla chips and salsa

Dark Chocolate

Five things you would never wear again:

Fluffy handcuffs

Saddle Shoes ( if you don't know what those are, you don't deserve to know)

knee socks

plaid

Ruffles on anything

5 on Friday

1. What means success to you? This is an interesting way of asking the question. Success means the opposite of failure, I suppose: accomplishing the task you set out to do or reaching a goal.
2. When did you feel most successful in your life thus far? I have done many things that made me feel successful, I raised 3 boys to be productive members of society, they are excellent fathers and husbands and sons. They, of course, would be my greatest success. I have also successfully run my own business for over 20 years.
3. What was your biggest success others helped you to achieve? I think it is my feeling of peace.  It came from within and from the support of family and friends.
4. What was your biggest self-made success? I live in a big old house all by myself. I’m not able to do a whole lot. With all my health problems living alone is epic for me.
5. What can you learn about success from failing?  You don’t necessarily know how to do it, but you certainly know how not to.  I also learned I like success much more than failure.

Bubble Wrap

 

This is a pretty pointless entry, but I am posting it out of curiosity.

What do you think/feel when someone tells you that they will pray for you? Do you feel thankful, blessed, or comforted? Or do you feel empty, puzzled, or awkward?

Do you really feel like it makes any difference? I mean, everything is in God's hands, right? So, will praying actually do anything? Will it change God's mind? Will it make him mad when you ask for things?

I will tell you my take on it, because, after all, this is  blog. :-)

I feel like prayer is almost like bubble wrap. Whether prayer changes your circumstances or not, I feel it will at least make things easier to deal with. If you had to fall down a flight of stairs, wouldn't you prefer it to happen while wrapped up in bubble wrap? Will it still hurt? Probably, but maybe not as much.

Let me know your thoughts, please.

Happy 4th of July

good and bad

Good News: I have very little damage from the storm.

Bad News:  Lives were lost from the storm

Good News: I have air conditioning

Bad News:  Some are still with out power

Please just keep this in mind as you go on about your day and interact with other people.  Try to remember as you go through your day, that the people you encounter maybe going through something eventful/tragic/life changing to them and it matters to them. You never know what the other person is going through and don't judge their attitude or feeling, they are real to them. What isn't a big deal to you maybe a huge deal to them.  I have been reminded of this many times within this past week. My 'normal' isn't the next persons normal. The point is everyone is dealing with something and it is real to them and even if we think it is small it is huge to them. Be kind.

Monday with Morgan:

Our girl had a busy week. From shopping to riding her bike to turning 40? haha Happy Birthday Deeda!